Hope Blooms Eternal
by xevious
Summary: The Powerpuff Girls can bring joy to our lives in the most unexpected ways.


HOPE BLOOMS ETERNAL

By 'Xevious' Pat Banks

You've heard of a story that's rumored about  
In whispers of silence riddled with doubt   
Of a tale so strange it boggles the mind.  
Just open you're heart if you'd be so kind.  
For with its blessing the soul will succumb.  
That is the reason I know you have come.  
  
Please pardon my rudeness and come on in.  
I'll whip up some tea before I begin.  
Let's stroll to the kitchen and take a seat.  
Maybe you'd care for a small bite to eat?  
There's leftovers from my dinner last night.  
I'll warm us up some and we'll have a bite.  
  
I see you admire my rustic décor?  
It's really all junk, but hard to ignore.  
A withered old stalk in an antique vase.  
Long-neck bottles in their carrying case.  
Souvenir glasses from each location  
That I visited while on vacation.  
  
I hope you don't mind the mess that I've made.  
I'm too ill of late to clean I'm afraid.  
The pills Doc prescribed don't work as they should.  
I guess at my age they can't do me good.  
Seems every morning I feel a new pain.  
Thank goodness I have this trusty old cane.   
  
It must be the weather. It's been so wet.  
Don't get me wrong for I'm far from upset.  
Rain allows nature to burst out in bloom.  
It's a far cry from this dreary old room.  
So don't be surprised if you happen to see  
A miracle bloom while we're sipping our tea.  
  
You look uneasy and ready to leave.  
Be patient, my lad, and you will believe.  
It all began several decades ago.  
I was your age. Thirty-something or so.  
Everyone saw a freewheeling guy.  
If only they knew I was living a lie.  
  
A few years before I was in my prime.  
My pals and I, well, we had a good time.  
Being so young, I thought forever we'd stay.  
Yet one-by-one they slowly drifted away.   
Each one bought a home. Had kids and a wife.  
No one knew how I so envied that life.  
  
For unknown reasons I didn't marry.  
The routine I was in, it wouldn't vary.  
I'd come home from work all sweaty and beat.  
Then flop in my chair and massage my poor feet.  
The apartment was small. It felt like a tomb.  
I'd sit in the dark and do nothing but fume.  
  
Do you want to know the worst thing of all?  
It was the stone cold silence, I must recall.  
The air was so quiet, so silent, so still.  
This odd eerie calm would give me a chill.  
That's when I'd turn to my only true friend.  
For hours in front of the TV I'd spend.  
  
If not for the shows but just for the sound  
Of people conversing or joking around.  
But one stood above the rest of the crowd  
Always making me cry or laugh out loud.  
The Powerpuff Girls is what it was named.  
How I loved that cartoon. I'm not ashamed.   
  
You may not remember. A man of your age.  
Back in the day those Puffs were the rage.  
It was like no other. Fresh and unique.  
With me an obsession week after week.  
Same with millions of fans who eagerly sought  
To watch three little girls and crooks that they fought.  
  
But deep inside I was afraid to admit  
The reason I watched and just couldn't quit.  
I bottled it up so no one could find  
The embarrassing thought I kept confined.  
It all goes back to my friends that I had  
And all of their children who called them dad.   
  
One time we regrouped, each friend and his tribe.  
The scene was pure chaos. Hard to describe.  
They all griped at their kids who kept screaming   
While the whole time I would be daydreaming  
For my own to love as much as I can.  
That's what the Powerpuffs meant to this fan.  
  
So intense was the notion I was depressed  
Until one fateful night I finally confessed  
To the girls themselves as they were aired.  
With them my deepest feelings I shared.  
I wanted release from what seemed like a curse.  
Sadly to say my depression grew worse.  
  
That's when it occured. An incredible thing.  
It's hard to forget that first day of spring.  
For some odd reason the picture had froze.  
I slapped my TV with several hard blows.  
"Don't hit so hard." I fell to one knee.  
That crime-fighting trio was speaking to me.  
  
Their faces were pressed right up to the screen  
And what I did next would cause quite a scene.  
So taken aback I let out a yell.  
Stumbling straight back, I tripped, and then fell.  
I crashed on the wall and banged my poor head.  
It throbbed so awful I wished I were dead.  
  
"Chill out!" one cried. "Try to stay in one piece."  
I could feel the rhythm of my heart increase.  
"Sorry we scared you. Don't get excited.  
The reason we're here is that you're invited  
To escape the routine of your daily grind  
And come to a place that will help you unwind."  
  
Even though drenched in a blanket of sweat  
I found my courage and crawled toward the set.  
There's something about them that put me at ease  
As I knew that somehow they heard all my pleas.  
They calmly told me with childish glee  
That I could join them inside the TV.  
  
Gently brushing my hand across the glass  
I asked them how I could possibly pass  
To a wondrous place that's too good to be true.  
They told me exactly what I had to do.  
It was so simple. I just closed my eyes  
And stepped right through to my ultimate prize.  
  
I glanced all around at this marvelous sight.  
The bright crisp colors and warm glowing light.  
It's hard to picture to you what I saw.  
Let's just say I was stricken with awe.  
It wasn't like a cartoon. It looked so real.  
You can imagine how I started to feel.   
  
That's when I noticed that I was alone  
In the Utonium's house, as they were known.  
I began to wonder what they had planned.  
Whatever the deal I was theirs to command.  
I paced on the floor and patiently waited.  
The strain on my nerves never abated.  
  
My pacing now led me towards a large mirror  
And I was astonished as I drew nearer.  
I saw a tall man in a white lab coat.  
A lump then suddenly formed in my throat.  
Now's when I knew what they had in store.  
They were my three girls to love and adore.  
  
I checked a wall clock. It showed seven a.m.  
The horizon outside was hazy and dim.  
My girls were probably still fast asleep  
So quietly up the stairs I did creep.  
I cracked open a door and sure enough  
Curled up in bed were three Powerpuffs.  
  
A creak of the hinge caused them to stir  
And when they saw me it was but a blur  
As they jumped in my arms and squeezed me tight  
I hugged them right back with all of my might.  
I was so overjoyed my head was spinning  
For that blessed day was only beginning.   
  
I know what you're thinking. Get to the start  
Where a crook or a bad guy tears things apart.  
To some out there they're all about fighting  
But what to me makes them so exciting  
Is even with all their toughness and pride  
They're still little kids deep down inside.  
  
So how did my day go? To you maybe dull.  
I had a ball. Not one single lull.  
We played tag in the yard. I made lunch for four.  
After we ate we were ready for more.  
Went to the movies then drove to the park  
To watch all the fireworks when it was dark.  
  
When you're a parent you take things for granted  
But these everyday chores had me enchanted.  
I stopped screaming matches and washed all their clothes.  
Wiped fingerprints and the occasional nose.  
Helped out with homework. Made sure that they bathed.  
That's one tough job but I came out unscathed.  
  
What made it seem real was right to the end  
No one hinted the whole day was pretend.  
Later that night when it was time for bed  
All three approached me and one of them said,  
"Hope you had fun. I know we had a blast,  
But the end of your trip is coming up fast."  
  
Needless to say I was shocked and dismayed  
That we had to end this sweet masquerade.  
But when they explained I felt so greedy.  
There were others like me equally needy.   
It was their mission to brighten the day  
Of other poor souls without a delay.  
  
With those forlorn words we strolled off upstairs.  
Decked out in their nightgowns they said their prayers.  
They gave thanks for such a wonderful dad  
And hoped that I would no longer be sad  
For if overwhelmed by feelings of grief  
There was a place I could come for relief.   
  
Then one reached over and plucked from a vase  
A colorful flower she put in my face.  
"It's from our trip to the park. Picked just for you.  
It lets you know the next time to come through."  
I couldn't believe it! I could return!  
It was to be a long wait, I was to learn.  
  
Now at peace with myself I finally began  
My very last duty as their old man.  
With their blankets pulled up, to them I read  
And when I had finished kissed each on the head.  
They said, "We love you." I started to weep.  
Shortly thereafter we all fell asleep.  
  
In my apartment is where I awoke.  
Was this some kind of mean-spirited joke?  
It could have been one massive illusion.  
I kept searching for a sane conclusion.  
But how to get someone to understand  
Where this flower came from I clutched in my hand.  
  
Right there and right then I knew I had been  
To their magical world and back again.  
I remembered this flower held the key  
For my return to pure ecstasy.  
But it didn't matter how hard I tried  
In a matter of days it shriveled and died.  
  
My bond to their world, it still remained strong  
For in my eyes they could do no wrong.  
That's why the dried up remains that I kept  
Sat on a nightstand near where I slept  
In a small vase made of crystal clear glass.  
My life's turning point had now come to pass.  
  
There were comments on my sudden new pep.  
Even I noticed more zing to my step.   
I went about town and took a few chances   
Flirting with love and fair-weather romances.  
And even though I never found the right match  
My new social life was a most welcome catch.  
  
This is why you gave my doorbell a ring  
On a rainy and wet first day of spring.  
For you had to hear in all due course  
An incredible tale straight from the source.  
There's more to the story. I'm not quite done.  
Here comes the part where it really gets fun.  
  
You may be wondering about that old flower  
And if it possessed a magical power.  
Do you remember that withered old stalk?  
The one I showed you when we started our talk?  
Look at it again. What do you see?  
A miracle bloomed as we sipped our tea.  
  
My buttercup blossoms. It bubbles anew.  
Now is the moment for me to pass through  
For the fifty-sixth time since I first went  
To be with my girls where I'm so content.  
Every twelve months I am able to go  
And that is the signal which lets me know.  
  
I'm in no rush and I'll tell you why.  
It all boils down to demand and supply.  
You see, through these years there were many others  
Who longed to become fathers or mothers.  
But so much magic to each could be spared  
And three hundred sixty-five of us shared.   
  
The seasons passed. The show slowly faded.  
The fan base waned as they became jaded.  
Many traversed to the next so-called 'fad'.  
As the faithful held on through good and the bad.  
It was from this group the chosen were picked  
This would cause trouble as you can predict.  
  
Though our pack was strong it started to shrink.  
As we grew older time severed each link.  
Some had kids of their own. Their life was on track.  
They would feel guilty to ever go back.  
The worst of all, I am sorry to say,  
Is that many of us would pass away.  
  
For the girls this left huge gaping holes.  
They couldn't find any more desperate souls  
To plug into the slots that were left blank.  
The faithful to choose from constantly shrank.  
But the warmth of my love they're not bereft  
Because right now I'm the only one left.  
  
On my previous jaunt they let it be known  
Over all of last year no one has shown.  
They said their power is going to waste  
Because it's been ages since they've replaced   
The last lucky member who's quit showing up.  
Now I have the final live buttercup.  
  
Then they told me what I wanted to hear.  
When I return in the following year  
Be prepared to stay no matter what.  
The portal will be forever shut.  
Don't worry about me. I will be fine.  
For when I go back the magic's all mine.   
  
I can toss away this trusty old cane.  
I won't have to fret about waking to pain  
At least for a while until I grow old  
But in the meantime my life will unfold  
With the Powerpuff Girls right by my side   
Raised as my daughters with fatherly pride.  
  
Thanks for listening. You seem rather nice.  
So, I beg of you, please heed my advice.  
There's so many things the mind can't conceive  
So open your heart if you want to believe.  
Just follow its beacon, whatever you do  
For in this reality, dreams can come true.  
  
  
END  



End file.
